I had my regular ALS clinic appointment last week. I go every three months, which is recommended based on my level of progression. It’s not an uplifting place, but I’m learning to prepare myself and to control my reactions, regardless of what the clinicians might tell me. Having Rob there is crucial. The one time he couldn’t make it is the one time I ended up sobbing, and it took me a week to get back to normal.

Here’s how the appointment goes. I start out by getting weighed. That means wheeling my chair onto the scale to get the weight of both of us. Then I hop out (just kidding! I get out slowly, with help) and they weigh the chair alone. This brings to mind a new mom weighing a baby by holding it in her arms, and then weighing herself without it, and that thought leads to another thought and then another and I find myself wondering what I would be doing right then if I didn’t have ALS.

Then the nurse comes in and asks a series of questions called The Functional Rating Scale to determine how far I’ve progressed since I was last there. Yes, that’s right. They’re asking me. Read More>